4/11/2011 Iraq reaffirms readiness to host Arab summit
BAGHDAD, Iraq reaffirmed readiness Monday to hosting the upcoming Arab Summit, due on May 11 next, and said it has not received any request to postpone the meeting or that a Arab country would be meeting the two-day summit.
This came by foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari while visiting the venues of the meetings in the Republican Palace, as well as the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad.
"Baghdad is ready to host the Arab Summit," he told reporters during the visit. _He said the Arab League Secretariat and the Secretary General were fully supporting the holding of the summit in Baghdad.
"We have promises by a number of Arab countries to participate and attend this summit which is not only important for Iraq but all Arab countries as well," he said.
Baghdad was scheduled to host the summit last month, but Arab foreign ministers decided to postpone it because of the developments in the Arab countries.
Zebari said Iraq was capable of hosting a successful summit. He said the Iraqi government spent USD 450 million to prepare for the summit.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2159240&Language=en
